Meetings
by Emmylou
Summary: A brief glimpse of the future for Harry while he's at the zoo. (still pretty much in Canon)


Title: Meetings  
  
Author: Emmylou  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine. At least, the characters and settings aren't. the words you see are. Oh forget it, I am JKRowling. I'd like to see them sure someone who's not legally old enough to have to pay anything.  
  
Pairing: Harry/Luna (ish)  
  
Archive: If you want.  
  
Summary: Harry and Luna meet up at the Zoo in the first book. This takes place shortly before the snake incident. I guessed that it would be not too long after Luna's mother died.

* * *

It was easily the hottest day of the year, Harry decided. Women walked past waving maps of the zoo like fans and rubbed sun cream onto screaming toddlers. He wasn't going to complain however, the heat was the only thing stopping him being locked in the car (even with Uncle Vernon's worries about what would remain of the car once they returned to it).  
  
Despite Dudley's constant complaining about the heat, and the glint in Piers' eyes that said all too clearly 'I'll get you Potter', Harry was defiantly enjoying himself. They had just visited the humid spider house and Dudley had instantly decided he wanted one.  
  
Then his aunt had seen the sign, it was a presentation on Hyena's. She had decided instantly that this was just the sort of thing Dudley needed to improve the day. That was one thing (the only thing really) that Aunt Petunia put her foot down about. If there was education to be got from something, Dudley would learn about it with or without his permission.  
  
"It will be simply _wonderful_ Dinkums. I promise you," said Aunt Petunia with the false cheer normally used when adults attempt to make you do something you have no intention of doing. .  
  
"_No it won't_!" snapped Dudley. "It's my birthday! I shouldn't have to learn things!" Dudley actually stamped his foot causing tremendous wobbling in outlaying regions. Harry wondered idly if people would mistake Dudley for an escaped rhino and cart him off. Perhaps if they got especially lucky someone would feed Piers to a snake.  
  
Dudley was reaching tantrum mode. He must have really been against the idea, because it was a rare day that he cried in from of a friend. but even as Harry thought it, fat tears welled up in Dudley's eyes and his cheeks flushed red.  
  
"I don't want to watch an educational thingy!" wailed Dudley. "It's for babies!"  
  
Harry would have dearly loved to comment that if Dudley had been ten sizes smaller he would have been currently indistinguishable from a baby, but he was enjoying the day immensely and had no desire to be tossed back into the sweltering car.  
  
"It's just ten minutes Dudley. You just have to stay for ten minutes and then we'll buy you some ice-cream, won't that be nice?" She clutched at her son's shoulders and beamed down at him. "You'd like some ice-cream wouldn't you Piers?" she asked sweetly.  
  
"Yes Mrs. Dursley," parroted Piers.  
  
"You see Dudley, Piers doesn't mind going. Now, we'll wait outside for you. I'm sure you'll be fascinated." Even Dudley had the sense to realise he had lost, but was reluctant to let go of it.  
  
"Harry has to come too." he grunted. Obviously he had decided that if he had to suffer, so did Harry.  
  
"Boy, you go with Dudley and Piers, you got me? And no funny business." Uncle Vernon jerked his head in Dudley's direction.  
  
Harry, who didn't mind in the least, gave a suitably disappointed face for Dudley's benefit and then followed them into the large gazebo used for presentations.  
  
Inside it was cool and somehow fresher smelling inside. The only light came from the open flaps of the tent and so everything was shaded and pleasant. Four rows of plastic chairs were set up on one half of the space. Eager to get away from Dudley and Piers (who had chosen seats about halfway along the front row and were looking very grumpy) Harry picked a spot near the back.  
  
"Well Hello there!" A cheery faced girl of about seventeen bore down upon him. Harry noticed a few others doing to same to the other children present. "I'm giving you a sticker with your name on it, what are you called?"  
  
"Harry Potter."  
  
"Well there you go then." The girl had scribbled his name down, plucked the label off the paper and stuck it to his tee-shirt. She turned and began doing the same thing to a girl that had just entered. Harry barely noticed, Piers and Dudley had got their stickers and were now glaring menacingly at him. He had a pretty good idea of what they were going to do with there stickers once they got hold of him.  
  
"Hello Harry Potter," said an absent-minded sort of voice. Harry looked sideways in time to see a blonde girl in a flowery summer dress plant herself next to him. He wondered how anyone knew his name, but remembered the sticker he was wearing and glanced down at it with embarrassment. She stared at him, obviously wanting a reply.  
  
"Er, hi, uh-" he peered at her label, "Luna Lovegood."  
  
"Are you enjoying your day at the Zoo Harry?" she asked.  
  
"Uh, yes. We didn't get here long ago though." Harry felt something more was needed. "We just saw the spiders. Have you seen those yet?"  
  
"No, but an elephant ate a piece of fruit when I offered it," she said.  
  
"O-oh, good."  
  
"Daddy was right when he said it would cheer me up to come. I've never been to a zoo like this one before," she seemed to dampen a little at this. Her watery smile then changed almost instantly to a sunny one and Harry could almost see the new happy thought beaming through her. "Daddy's cheered up a lot too. I wouldn't have come otherwise. He's in a good mood because he spotted someone who's the _double_ of Dantia Mudkrow. He's trying to get an interview as we speak."  
  
_Dantia Mudkrow?_ What sort of name was that?  
  
"Who's Dantia Mudkrow?" he blurted, trying to copy the syllables she had made.  
  
Luna looked up from where she was watching the presenter setting things up. After a second's blankness she gave him a look that seemed to say '_of_ course _you wouldn't know silly_.' Harry flushed and wondered if he always looked clueless or something.  
  
"He's a wanted criminal," Luna answered lightly, as if this were a happy state of affairs indeed.  
  
"Oh." Harry never really got around to reading newspapers so he wouldn't know. "What is he wanted-"  
  
"He killed three people," said Luna.  
  
"Right."  
  
_Screeiiiiieeeek_  
  
"Nngh!" Every person in the tent groaned and held their hands to their ears as the sound system wobbled. Luna's eyes watered a little at the sound but she didn't move much.  
  
"Sorry about that folks," said the presenter jovially. He wore a 'comedy' hunter's hat bought from the gift shop and a cheesy grin.  
  
Harry didn't even mind that Piers and Dudley threw crisps at the man all the way through the next ten minutes.  
  
"Bye Harry! See you in a year!" Luna called as she skipped out of the tent.  
  
Puzzling at the odd behaviour of the blonde, Harry left the tent to find his family.

* * *

Please, please, review. Thanks for reading. 


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